tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74988463669628769742024-03-13T18:34:07.887+00:00The 'Manly Ferry' blogPaul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.comBlogger1259125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-6694588933561432432019-02-25T12:24:00.000+00:002019-02-25T12:28:37.522+00:00Reunited<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we must announce that Paul passed away on Sunday 24th February. We are all going to miss Paul so much, he was a fantastic Brother, Uncle and friend to us all. The only comfort we have is he is reunited with his lovely wife Elaine who he missed so much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know there are so many out there who loved Paul and we've had comfort in the lovely messages we have received. May you continue your travels with Elaine, and we miss you so much.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Love Russell and all his family and friends.</span>Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-19970246015010762182018-10-18T17:09:00.000+01:002018-10-18T17:09:29.703+01:00The End Is Nigh!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I went to London on Friday 5th October to see the oncologist for a routine check up and chat, she said that I appeared to be getting worse so she sent me for a CT scan whilst I was there plus a blood test. </div>
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On Sunday I flew to Mojacar to sort out my personal stuff in the villa, I took my sister Jackie and sis in law Tracy with me to help me.</div>
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Early Monday morning the phone rang it was the oncologist saying she had the scan results and it was really bad. The cancer was everywhere in my lungs plus on my liver. I also had fluid on my left lung and worst of all my kidneys were in a real bad way. The only good part was that I would probably die of kidney failure and it would be quick. She did offer me immunotherapy , but the side effects are horrendous and would probably kill me. I decided not to go with that plan and will let the cancer do its thing. We did decide to get the hospice involved, one of the nurses is coming round on Monday to discuss end of life planning. </div>
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So it wasn't the start to the trip we were hoping for, there were so many people I wanted to see whilst down there but I was just too ill to leave the villa.</div>
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I did manage to catch up with my BFF Eva which was just lovely, she is so special to me and its a relationship that's hard to figure out, we just clicked a few years ago and that's it.</div>
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I did manage to have a relaxing afternoon at the office which was lovely. It was strange to think last year I was down here nearly everyday and was loving life to the full, so much as changed in the last year</div>
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The girls did an amazing job packing up everything they didnt stop, but I did give them a couple of afternoons off to go to the beach.</div>
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I gave the little Citroen away to a good home whilst I was down there which was nice, so she will carry on running for a bit longer. Elaine loved that little car so much, so she would have been happy.</div>
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By the end of the week I was ready to go home as I was missing the safety of being in the UK and really didn't want to get stranded in Spain. I was feeling so ill and tired.</div>
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I went on the roof on the last day to take my final photo of the lovely view, I think my chances of ever going back there or anywhere overseas are now a big fat zero</div>
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A very tatty me and my carers at the airport, I had wheelchair assistance at both airports which helped a lot.</div>
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The End is Nigh in the title wasn't about my demise it was about finishing the blog as I now find it very difficult to see the screen and keyboard plus I feel so constantly unwell, I struggle to make it the slightest bit interesting.</div>
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I was hoping to reach 1,000,000 hits but that's not going to happen but am still very happy at the 923,000 . It was never about the numbers anyway. It was something I have really enjoyed doing especially in the early days on the narrowboat. I still go back there often and love reading the old posts and especially looking at the photos. The motorhome blogs were also so enjoyable. When Elaine died in 2016 to me the blog also died, I missed her input and especially her correcting my appalling grammar.</div>
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The last year has been pretty crap blogwise as there as been nothing to blog about apart from fkin cancer which has completely taken over and destroyed my life.</div>
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I have enjoyed writing this post so wont put it to bed until I physically cant type anymore.</div>
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Bye For Now xxxx</div>
Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-12410816934659728662018-09-25T17:43:00.000+01:002018-09-25T17:43:12.061+01:00Nice Day For A White Wedding In Cyprus.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I haven't blogged for ages, mainly because not a lot happens to me these days, my blog entries would be..... feeling crap....slept all day ...puked up etc, all pretty boring stuff.</div>
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But we have had the Cyprus trip planned since just after Christmas so I was determined to give it a go.</div>
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The doggies were booked into kennels so we were all set to go.</div>
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I must admit I was dreading the trip especially the long 5 hour flight, I am also paranoid about getting stuck in a foreign country and being hospitalised so I took out medical insurance for over £1000,00.</div>
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In the end the flight wasn't too bad and once I arrived at the hotel it was all good.</div>
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The pre cancer me would have been exploring the island and all sorts of different bars and restaurants. </div>
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The new me involved getting up extremely late and laying by the pool all day. It was full on 5 star hotel so nothing was a problem. There were buzzers on the parasols next to the sunbeds so I didn't even have to move to order drinks and food. </div>
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It helped to be surrounded by family and we ended up having a great time.</div>
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The main reason we were there of course was for the wedding of my nephew Phillip to his fiancee Nichola.</div>
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It all went off without a hitch, but I hit the sack about 23,30 when the young uns hit the night club.</div>
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So I have been to Cyprus for 2 weeks and know nothing about the island whatsoever, the only bit of the Island I saw was on the trip to and from the airport.</div>
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The trip went to well that everyone is talking of another family holiday next year, in fact the planning has already started!</div>
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I rang the oncologist whilst in Cyprus to see whats next for me thinking they would want to scan me to see how the radiology and stereo tactic knife surgery went, her answer was nothing unless you feel ill.</div>
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With that in mind Im thinking of going to Spain in a couple of weeks to sort out my personal stuff in the villa.</div>
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I have put some wedding photos on below.</div>
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I will blog again if any significant happens..... </div>
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Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-63222027204791153552018-08-12T13:56:00.000+01:002018-08-12T13:56:47.026+01:00A Little Bit of Good News And A big Bit Of Bad News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The good news is I have finished my 13 sessions of radio therapy and two sessions of stereotactic knife surgery on my remaining brain tumours.<br />
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Basically it was all pain free apart from having my face squashed in by the mask when undergoing the brain tumour ops.<br />
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I made it as easy as possible by renting an apartment right next to the hospital for two and a half weeks, as I didn't fancy travelling to the hospital everyday, I dont think I could of done it<br />
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It did go a little pear shape after the first week, on the last day of treatment they gave me a blood test, it came back bad my kidneys were failing, I was admitted to hospital for the weekend, they put it down to the extreme heat in London causing dehydration plus after effects from chemo.<br />
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After that my sister Jackie stayed with me in the apartment for a few days followed by my niece Hayley. They wanted to make sure that I was eating and drinking properly.<br />
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They both did a splendid job!</div>
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I even get to keep the mask!!</div>
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So far so good the side effects have been nowhere near as bad as the chemo side effects, I have had nausea and extreme fatigue and tiredness but they are getting better. They should wear off even more in a couple of weeks. I do have to go to a renal clinic next Tuesday to check out my kidneys.</div>
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Im feeling pretty good, nowhere near 100% but a definite improvement. </div>
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I have a wedding to go to in Cyprus early September, Im now a lot more confident that I will make it.</div>
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The Bad News </div>
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My sister in law, Elaine's lovely sister Julie passed away last week</div>
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She was such a lovely lady lady just like my Elaine. She had been battling against bastard cancer for nearly seven years .</div>
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A few pics.......</div>
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A very sad loss RIP Julie XX</div>
Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-24705557299761256982018-07-13T14:50:00.000+01:002018-07-13T14:50:01.206+01:00A Very Long Time Between Posts!I thought I<i> </i> had better get my act together and do a quick post. The last one was May 30th!!<br />
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Basically I am quite well and am not missing the chemo one iota. <br />
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I did go to London to have a meeting with my oncologist, after a long chat I agreed to try radiation therapy which will mean going to London everyday for a month whilst they zap the tumours on my lungs. They also want to zap the two remaining brain tumours plus clean up whats left of the big tumour that was removed last Xmas. <br />
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I went to London a couple of days ago to have the mask made up plus have a MRI and a CT scan of my brain, this is to ensure that when they do use the stereo tactic knife they will only remove the tumour and not any good brain tissue.<br />
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Having the mask made up was pretty awful, I hate wearing a full face crash helmet because it makes me feel claustrophobic, so having this thing molded to my face wasn't good, all I could think of at the time was those brave Thai lads being dragged through the cave underwater, if they can cope with that I can do this. When it was finished I wore it through the CT scanner, Christ it was tight<br />
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So that is it on the medical front, I am waiting for times and dates for the radiation/stereo-tactic knife surgery to commence ?<br />
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So with no chemo for six weeks I must be out there having a ball and enjoying life right ?????<br />
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Wrong.... I have been overcome with extreme tiredness and fatigue like you wouldn't believe and Im sure a lot of people just think Im a lazy git! <br />
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I have put a link to it<a href="https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/physical-side-effects/fatigue/what-is-cancer-related-fatigue.html" target="_blank"> here</a>, it saves me having to type it out because even doing the blog tires me out.<br />
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I have been getting out and about, we went away for three days in the caravan which was lovely but I feel guilty as I cant set up the van etc because Im just too tired and weak to do anything.<br />
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I had a lovely couple of days up at Stone to celebrate Rolys birthday, it was great to catch up with the boaty friends who we met at Aston Marina back in 2012, we have all become lifelong friends, they are just the best!<br />
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We had a lovely dinner on the Thursday night in the flash marina restaurant...thanks Roly<br />
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Friday afternoon we went for a mini cruise, it was lovely to take the tiller again after a few years off it.</div>
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Once again the tiredness kicked in and I had to retire down below for a sleep, I think I lasted about 30 mins on the tiller!</div>
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So I dont have sickness or nausea anymore, my tastebuds have come back a lot but still not 100%<br />
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What I now have is extreme fatigue that is just so awful, mainly because there is so much I want to do, I would love to go on a sailing holiday, I would love to explore the rest of Europe that Elaine and I never made it to. There are places in the UK that I would love to see, the money isnt a problem....I have sold everything, but when all you want to do is sleep there really isn't any point.<br />
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I really dont know whether the fatigue will go or whether this is my new living with cancer life and I had better get used to it. <br />
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Well thats about it for now, even though I intended to write a really long post the tiredness is making it a bit too hard.<br />
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I will try and write a bit more often....promise xx<br />
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<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-47670299275404722802018-05-30T21:36:00.001+01:002018-05-30T21:36:55.771+01:00Fckd off !! After having a good meeting with the oncologist last Friday and having only slight side effects I went ahead with chemo.<br />
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It was only one drug what could possibly go wrong.......<br />
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I was so confident that I was going to breeze through it I booked a flight to Almeria, booked a nice hotel for the night before as it was an early flight. I also paid for a weeks airport parking..<br />
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Things started turning to shit after a couple of days, the dreaded sore throat had returned, I started gargling and taking all the medications to try and hold it at bay. It has worked to a degree and is nowhere near as bad as last time when I ended up in hospital for eight days.<br />
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But, and its a big but, I can hardly eat because its so painful and my mouth feels like the bottom of a birdcage, its absolutely foul. I am also extremely tired and have spent two days in bed.<br />
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So what is the point of going to Mojacar where the main part of the break would be eating and drinking, there is no point whatsoever plus the thought of maybe getting really ill and hospitalized in Spain doesn't bear worth thinking about.<br />
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I have got a full refund on the hotel and car parking but of course flying with Ryanair means the airfare part is flushed down the toilet.<br />
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I am so pissed off because i really thought that this maintenance drug was going to be the answer for me to lead a more normal life. Reality is Im not going through this shit every three weeks.<br />
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Tomorrow I will ring the hospital to discuss stopping all treatment, there is only so much one can take and Im at the end.<br />
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<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-51931133406793085932018-05-26T14:22:00.001+01:002018-05-26T14:22:30.788+01:00Living With Cancer.....Yesterday was the big day when I received my scan results, they wanted me at Charing Cross hospital as early as possible so I had to get up at the ungodly hour of 07.00!!<br />
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Brother Russ came with me as to be honest I wasn't expecting any good news so it is good to have someone with you to take in all the info.<br />
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We caught the train and tube which is by far the best way to get there it takes about one hour 15 mins from my door to the hospital.<br />
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First I went to the oncology unit so they could take some blood, reason being if the news was good I was going to have another chemo session.<br />
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We then went to see Danii the consultant oncologist, she is a lovely lady, I have always told her to be up front with me and that I wanted quality of life over quantity. She positively bounced into the room and said the news was all good.... the tumours on the lungs had shrunk considerably, the ones on the liver had also virtually gone and the ones on the spine hadn't changed. It wasn't the news I was expecting, but it did put a big smile on my face.<br />
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The upshot is nothing really has changed, I have stage 4 lung cancer that is incurable, so the bugger will get me one day. I asked about my longevity which was 6-12 months and that was 3 months ago, basically she cant answer it, I also asked her about going into remission which she said in my case wasn't going to happen. <br />
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Her answer was I am Living with cancer!! So there is no end date as such. I will keep on having chemo every 3 weeks on a maintenance drug called permatrexed. I will also be on the lovely term active surveillance which basically means seeing how I go with every day life etc.<br />
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I will keep on this regime until it stops working, I will be scanned after every 3 sessions. the side effects should and I really hope should be minimal. <br />
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After our meeting Russ went off to the science museum whilst I went off to have my chemo. The actual chemo drug only took 15 minutes to drip in but there are lots of drugs infused before that to stop nausea and strengthen my bones etc <br />
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We left the hospital at 15.30 and had an uneventful trip home, if we had drove we would have still been sat in bank holiday traffic.<br />
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I am happy with this its the first positive news I have had since this crap started back last October.<br />
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Im so happy that I have been looking at flights to Mojacar in the next few days !!<br />
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Another bit of good news is that my flat sold in Sydney link <a href="https://m.realestate.com.au/sold/property-unit-nsw-brookvale-127460886" target="_blank">here</a> We only bought it as an investment when we sold the house as we wanted to keep a foothold in the Sydney market. I have never seen the place let alone live in it. We bought it in 2013 and it rented really well and we also made a good profit on the sale. One of the reasons I wanted to sell it is that I wanted to tidy up all my affairs around the place so that when I do shuffle off this mortal coil it wouldn't be too hard on the relos to sort out my affairs, so getting rid of seemed to me to be a no brainer.<br />
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So that is the last link to Australia gone, I have no regrets as we had a brilliant 32 years there and without living there I wouldn't have been able to retire early and travel around the UK and Europe etc.<br />
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Having said that, I would have never got the support in Oz like I have had here, we had plenty of friends in Oz but I wouldn't and couldn't expect friends to help me and Elaine out like family does. Plus even though we were insured it would have cost an absolute fortune paying the gaps in the medical insurance. Being ill is one thing, being ill and skint is a whole new ball game.<br />
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So onward and upwards, Mojacar here we come..... You are now stuck with me a bit longer !!!<br />
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<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-90703924300301842092018-05-22T21:15:00.001+01:002018-05-22T21:15:15.983+01:00My New Nest....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been living with my brother Russell and sister in law Tracy for 6 months now, they have been absolute life savers and I often think what I would have done if they had not had welcomed me into their abode plus basically looked after me for the last six months, there really are no alternatives especially with 2 dogs in tow. Im not too bad at the moment and can look after myself but for most of the time I have been incapable of doing so.<br />
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I have been living in the third bedroom, and like most English houses the third bedroom tends to be on the small side. Niece Kimberley moved into her own flat with her boyfriend Chris a couple of months ago, so it was decided I would move into her old bedroom which was a much bigger double room. The old room was to be polite in need of a bit of TLC, I didn't expect Russ or Tracy to do it even though they wanted to, I physically cant do it so I advertised for a handy man to do it. I picked a winner straight away, he turned up on time to give me a quote and straight away I could tell that this guy was a good un. He started on a Tuesday morning and was finished early Friday morning. The room was re painted, new wall paper on one wall a new light fitted and new carpet and underlay. I chose the new furniture and bed and they were delivered on Friday as promised. Tracy chose the light fitting, the wallpaper and curtains plus the bedding, there was no chance of me getting that right.<br />
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The room looks and is superb and I am loving it. <br />
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The three doggies all love it too although Bombo is the only one who can jump up on the bed.</div>
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Sunday was another cracking day so we decided to go and watch Kimberley show jumping. We left a bit late and got stuck behind a tractor for 10 minutes plus took a wrong turn as we got close to our destination. The result was we just about spotted her doing her round, she clipped a post anyway so jumping wise it was all over. </div>
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It was a huge show with loads of stalls selling horsey and other stuff, one of the stalls sold hats, I have been after a wax hat for ages to match my waxed Belstaff jacket. The first one I tried on the sales lady said was very popular with the ladies...whoops. The second one was just perfect and even the colour matched. They also sold good quality straw hats so I bought one of them, I need to protect my head from the English sun plus it is the ultimate accessory to go on the rear parcel shelf of the Jag.</div>
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Monday was my big scan day at Charing Cross hospital plus I had an appointment to see the neurosurgeon in the evening as my head was starting to cave in !!</div>
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First up was an MRI scan with dye. They had to fit a canula to inject the dye, it took a lot longer than normal as my veins are a bit buggered after having so many needles and was actually a bit painful.</div>
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I'm used to the MRI scanners now but still find it such a primitive machine and cannot believe that they cant make one that is just a bit quieter and doesn't vibrate so much. I can see why some people have to be sedated before having one. I actually sleep when I'm in the thing which is about 30 mins. Straight after I had a CT scan but they couldn't get the dye through the canula. I had to have another canula fitted, after four attempts and two different nurses they got one in, my arms were like a bloody war zone. </div>
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Next up was a quick visit to the oncology wing where they took my blood in anticipation of chemo next Friday. Next Friday morning at 10.00 am I have a meting with my oncologist who will give me the scan results and will decide whether we go ahead with chemo that day.</div>
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I really dont know what the results are going to be and I am certainly not getting my hopes up, I know I cant be cured but am hoping to get a bit more than the 9 months to a year scenario!! I have noticed a few more little pains starting under my ribs and also a bit of a back ache so whether the little bastard is starting to spread who knows. Apart from that I have been feeling pretty good. I am eating much better, the sore throat has finally gone. My biggest problem at the moment is extreme tiredness which is OK cos I just sleep, and in my lovely new bed its very very easy to sleep. </div>
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I headed back to Milton Keynes via the tube and train and was home by 17.00, I then jumped into the car and drove to Harpenden to meet the Neurosurgeon who removed my brain tumour back in December. As I mentioned earlier my head was starting to cave in around the site where the tumour was removed.</div>
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He is a lovely man and quickly assured me that all was OK and it was just the skull and plate adjusting , as the tumour had gone and the brain was no longer swollen it was just filling the gaps so to speak. It was also made worse by the fact that post op I had the bad infection that made a bit of a mess of my skull so that also contributed to the dent! All in all he thought I looked great and as he was in the loop with my chemo and treatment etc thought I was doing very well considering all the bloody awful side effect I have been having.</div>
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Today was a day of rest where I did very little apart from walking the dogs around the lake with Kimberley and chilin in general. </div>
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Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-40344864451432591402018-05-15T13:13:00.001+01:002018-05-15T13:13:18.871+01:00A Good Chemo and Amazing Meetings !!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If there ever can be such a thing I have had a good chemo session. Im now into my 11th day since my last session and so far have had no major side effects. This is the first time it has happened since all this crap started at XMAS </div>
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I still feel tired and my taste buds are well and truly rooted, but all in all I'm pretty good. The oral thrush is just about gone but my throat is still sore making it hard to eat, typically a bacon sandwich takes about an hour! But it is getting better and I'm sure in a few weeks it will be back to normal.</div>
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I think im up for a scan next then its the big decision on whether they give me more treatment or just leave it alone and watch to see what happens. Im hoping for the later and have a nice break from any treatment.</div>
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Pic below is me being pumped full of poison, I arrived at Charing Cross at 10,00 and got released at 18.00 ....its a long day!</div>
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I was joined most of the afternoon by Pat who is mine and Elaines friend and old neighbour from Sydney. </div>
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She and her hubby Martin have been on a mega trip to South America and Pat was on her way back to Oz via the the UK. It fitted in with her time table so we had a good long catch up in the chemo ward.</div>
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They were our neighbors for yeas plus Elaine and Pat worked together at Roche and I played for the same football club as Martin. </div>
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Next up was going to watch niece Kimberley showjumping. It was a glorious day made even better by Kimberley winning both of her heights, she is a very good show jumper.</div>
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It was a lovely day for driving the Jag too.</div>
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Then it was time to buy a caravan, we have been looking for a while and a private one came up in Milton Keynes. Its an immaculate van and although second hand is like new.</div>
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The plan is that I can take it away to various parts of the UK this summer and worst cases scenario if I was taken ill I could go home and brother Russell would pick up the van.</div>
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Russell and Tracy will also use it when they want.</div>
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Being a private buy it came with lots of extras all including an inflatable awning and basically everything you need to take off touring.</div>
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Talking of the Jag I noticed that although the tyres had plenty of trad on them the sidewalls looked perished, the previous owner only put a few ks on the car and it sat for a long time, so bugger the expense I had four brand new tyres fitted. I'm not taking any chances of getting a blowout etc especially towing a caravan!</div>
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A good friend from Manchester sent me two tickets to see West Ham V Man Utd, as my nephew Liam is a mental West Ham fan it only seemed right to take him along.</div>
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I booked a nice hotel near the ground as it was an evening kick off and I didn't fancy getting a late night tube and train back to Milton Keynes.</div>
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On the way to the hotel I literally bumped and I mean bumped into Sandra off of NB AreandAre at Euston station.. we first met Sandra and Barry back in 2010 in Sydney and they were a big inspiration for us to pack up work and start a new relaxing life on a narrowboat. This was when they were on their boat NB Northern Pride and were going back and forwards from the boat and to NZ. They still live and trade off of a narrowboat, we last met them at a boat trade rally in Stone probably about five years ago. What are the chances eh ??</div>
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We arrived in the hotel on Wednesday afternoon about 13,00 so after checking in we grabbed a cab and went to a couple of classic old London pubs on the Thames.</div>
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One of which was Sir Ian Mckellens pub The Grapes which is located at Limehouse </div>
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Gandalfs staff sits behind the bar on display.</div>
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The game itself was pretty crap but we had a fun time.</div>
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Summer continues to be nice and warm, so me and Kimberley chilled out on the hammock for a while.</div>
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I also took Bombo to the Three locks pub and used him as a pillow whilst I had a sleep by one of the locks!</div>
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Last weekend we took the caravan up to a local site so we could check that everything worked as it should.</div>
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Its a really lovely van and indeed everything did work as it should.</div>
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Tracy did an excellent job in buying bedding that matched the decor of the van, I slept like a log in my new bed.</div>
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We even put up the awning, such an easy job, 20 mins and its done.</div>
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The weather was awful on Saturday, but Sunday and Monday were superb, this was my view from the bedroom window, just as I like it....no people!</div>
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Whilst walking around the site I bumped into another couple of old friends....Joe and Lesley who were the original owners of our boat Caxton which we bought off of them back in 2012 !! </div>
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They are now out of narrowboating and are into motor-homing and are making the most of it with some big trips around the UK and mainland Europe, yet another what the moment !!</div>
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Lesley will kill me for putting the photo up as she had just got out of the shower...still looks lovely to me xx</div>
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Finally the sad bit....Yesterday would have been our 11th wedding anniversary, I still miss her like you wont believe and often think to myself how different my present life of living with this fkin disease would be, because I would be her priority 24/7 because that's how she was.</div>
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So I will finish this post with a few photos from that wonderful day in Las Vegas 11 years ago.</div>
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Happy Anniversary to Me xx</div>
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<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-78952962058176121582018-05-02T19:26:00.001+01:002018-05-02T19:26:50.799+01:00Hospital Again And The End Of An Era <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Its been an awful long time since I did a post and an awful lot has happened, and once again some of it has been truly awful !!</div>
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I wont wobble on for too long and go into great detail so this is the abridged version !</div>
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Russell and Tracy had took off on their mega hols leaving Kimberley to look after her favourite uncle.</div>
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I picked up the Jag on Tuesday and got it home.</div>
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Wednesday I started to get a sore throat, problem was this was the sore throat from hell, It was like I had swallowed a hundred razor blades, I went to the GP but managed to see a nurse who said I have oral Thrush ! I thought thrush was some girlie problem with their downstairs area! Have some Nystatin that will sort it out.</div>
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Did it hell, I was in total agony, water was like acid, ice cream burnt me, I couldn't eat a thing I couldn't drink I was in total agony again and went to bed to try and forget about it all and just hopefully die. </div>
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On the weekend I started being sick and realised this is pretty serious, Monday morning sis Jackie, niece Hayley and Kimberly all came to the house and rang Charing Cross hospital....Bring him in straight away... like now !!</div>
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Kimberley drove whilst I sat in the passenger seat puking into the sick buckets!</div>
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Straight up the the 15th floor, welcome back Paul your room is ready....within the hour they had stopped the puking and had me on a drip, I was suffering from malnutrition, dehydration and my kidneys were on the verge of packing up.</div>
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All this from a bloody sore throat that once again was a side effect from the bloody chemo!</div>
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Cutting it short I was on a virtual constant drip had two blood transfusions and slowly started to recover.</div>
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The weather was lovely and I actually could see the Thames from my room. </div>
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I was due some visitors from Spain, Jay and Eva were coming over for a few days and wanted to pop in and see me. They were coming on a Saturday but I felt quite good so decided to walk down to the Thames embankment. Next thing Jay rang they are in my room....they soon came down to the Thames and we had a good catch up.</div>
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They walked me back to the hospital where we bade farewell.</div>
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Jay took a great shot of me and my best friend Eva, the photo sums up our special bond we have even though there is a 41 year age gap. She is such a special person in my life xx</div>
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After eight days in hospital I was released....</div>
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Thankfully they had fixed me up yet again.</div>
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It took me a fair while to recover at home especially with he sore throat but gradually we got there.</div>
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I felt well enough to drive up to Braunston to-catch up with Sue and Andy who have returned from Spain and are back into cruising mode. </div>
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Elaine's dad died a couple of weeks ago and Tuesday was his funeral so knowing Elaine would have wanted me to go so I got the train up on Monday.</div>
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It was a well attended funeral, as Burt was a born and bred Macclesfield lad so a lot of locals were there.</div>
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The wake was at Burts local pub and was well turned out with lots of people, I managed to stay all day and then went out again at night, it was a long day.</div>
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I popped around for the last look of the house that Elaine had lived in for a lot of years and one that I had visited on numerous times.</div>
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I took a pic of Elaine's old bedroom door, still with her name and doll on it. </div>
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It was sad to walk out of it thinking I will never step foot inside it again.</div>
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Im now back in Milton Keynes and am going to London Friday for another chemo session. I am so hoping that I have no effects this time !!! It would be a nice first.</div>
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Other News.....</div>
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The Spanish Jaguar sold very quickly.</div>
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My flat in Sydney sold for a lot more than I wanted which was a bit special.</div>
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Perhaps I'm just getting a little bit of good luck which has been sadly lacking for a long time.</div>
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<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-54922804876582763832018-04-13T12:19:00.001+01:002018-04-13T12:19:05.108+01:00The Importance Of FamilyIts now been exactly one week since my last chemo and what a week it was. It was a reduced chemo dose because of all the terrible side effects I have been having. I was accompanied by sister Jackie and niece Hayley.<br />
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The chemo was all done by 15.00 and I felt really good so we decided to head off to Oxford Street as I wanted to buy a jacket from a designer shop, which makes a nice change from the charity shops.<br />
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We walked to the tube and I felt really good and only getting slightly out of breath.<br />
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It was lovely to go to designer shop and be treated like a king, the service was fantastic.<br />
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Rather than catch a tube or bus back to the hospital (where the car was parked) we jumped in a London cab, it was the cleanest cab I had ever been in, it was white rather than black as he also used it as a wedding car. The fare back to the hospital was £19.50, I gave him £25.00 but he said that's far too much and gave me a fiver back, I said that's the tip, he said no thanks you keep it !<br />
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By now it was getting a bit late and was rush hour time so rather sitting in traffic we decided to eat in London and head home a bit later.</div>
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We went for a walk through Hammersmith with moi wearing his new jacket !</div>
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I love it.</div>
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We spotted a nice little Thai restaurant but it wasn't due to open for another hour so we popped into a pub for a swift half or two.</div>
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We nearly stuffed up as by the time we went back to the restaurant there was only one table left, it was rammed.</div>
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The waiter/waitress was a full on Thai Lady boy and the food was fantastic.</div>
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Because it was a Friday evening the restaurant was full of workers from local businesses and the hospital.</div>
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I witnessed an amazing site whilst in the restaurant......not one person was on their bloody phone, they were talking to each other, it was a lovely thing to watch.</div>
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It was a really strange surreal day, we had a fantastic day out in London but in the middle of it all I had some chemo.</div>
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Saturday morning I went car hunting with brother Russell, I need a car as the others all work so in the daytime I'm home alone. I thought about getting a little Fiat 500 or something to buzz around then thought to myself, Im not going to be around for too much longer so why not treat myself , and treat myself I did, I bought a beautiful Jaguar XF . It is stunning although I am a bit worried about the cream leather interior especially with the dogs and the amount of mud around at the moment...It can be cleaned!</div>
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At the moment Im home alone, brother Russ and wife Tracy have taken off on a 3 week holiday to the states and a cruise to Hawaii, Im not quite alone as my niece Kimberley has moved back in to keep an eye on me.<br />
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This of course brings me back to the to the title of the blog ...The importance of family.<br />
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I was talking to Kimberley , she said to me what would you have done if you didn't move in with us?<br />
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It really made me think, what would I have done, Im not to bad now and can cook, and clean etc, but I also know that Im going to get a lot worse and will probably end my lovely life in this house. Also I have been here since the beginning of November, what would have been the alternative, Spain would have been impossible, the dogs have been looked after, which was always my biggest concern I have been chauffeured around to various hospitals by family.<br />
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I am so so lucky and I still cant imagine what I would have done without them, I owe them big time.<br />
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I had some more sad news this week, Elaine's dad died in Macclesfield hospital, he was admitted about three weeks ago after collapsing at home but unfortunately never came out again.<br />
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Love your family people xx</div>
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<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-84053911307310920132018-04-05T12:50:00.000+01:002018-04-05T12:50:19.429+01:00What a Difference a Week Makes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Last Thursday I visited the lung oncologist in London and I felt like death, she gave me some new drugs including the good old steroids, some anti depressants and anti emetics....What can I say....WOW!!</div>
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Its been a transformation, my taste buds are back, I have been eating for Africa, having a good drink as well, not excessive but its so nice to taste a nice glass of red wine! </div>
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I know its all down to the drugs, but it feels so good to have a zest for life again.</div>
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Unfortunately it all came back to reality yesterday when I received her latest report through the post, when you read it in black and white that you haven't got long to live it is very sobering.</div>
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But there is nothing I can do about it, so Im just hoping that the chemo I start tomorrow will hopefully give me a bit more time, I know it cant be cured but a bit more time would be nice.</div>
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As I said earlier its been nice to get out and about going to nice restaurants and bars again.</div>
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Another high was catching up with my old mate Paul Young who I worked with in the 70s at Vauxhall Motors.</div>
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We have always kept in touch since then, moreso lately since his wife succumbed to brain cancer just after Christmas, she was only 52!!</div>
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The photo taken below was taken in 1984 when he was touring Australia, I chauffeured him around Sydney in my little Suzuki Sierra as well as attending his sell out shows and going to the after show parties.</div>
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He came to the house in Milton Keynes bringing me a mega Lindt Easter egg and flowers for Tracy.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, Tracy, Paul and brother Russell</td></tr>
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<br />He still looks like a rock star, bastard still has all his hair! </div>
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Tracy was a fan back in the day, and was melting on the floor!!!</div>
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Hopefully we will keep in touch and I will be able to go to some of his gigs and see him perform.</div>
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Tomorrow its off to Charing Cross to start chemo....</div>
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Wish me well XX</div>
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<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-73042733185071053362018-03-30T13:37:00.000+01:002018-03-30T13:37:43.735+01:00Thursdays Visit To The Oncologist Last Thursday I caught the train to London to see the oncologist, Kimberley came with me for moral support and hang on to me if I went wobbly.<br />
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I must have been looking crap as nice young people gave me seats on the train and the tube.<br />
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I was ok walking but the stairs on the tube absolutely knackered me .<br />
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It was a different hospital this time, St Marys in Paddington, it was nice to pass the narrow boats in Paddington basin, it bought back fond memories of the long hot summer of 2013 when we spent a month moored up in Paddington basin. We couldn't hang around though as it was pouring down with rain so we headed to the hospital.<br />
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The oncologist was actually based in the private Lindo wing , this is where all the royal babies are born , in actual fact Prince George William and Kate's first was born whilst we were there back in 2013.<br />
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This is the entrance to the Lindo Wing , I took this photo when Elaine's sister, her nieces and great nieces paid us a visit back in July 2013.<br />
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Inside actually isn't too flash, but being private the service is great, no hanging around waiting etc.</div>
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We spent about an hour and half having a chat plus being examined and having blood tests, plus looking at all the previous scans.</div>
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My Cancer is Metastatic non small cell lung cancer T4N1M1c ( bone, brain, liver and adrenal metastases)</div>
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Basically this translates to Im Fcked !</div>
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I have always asked her to tell me the truth and that I wanted quality over quantity of life and originally thought that 2 to three years would be doable....... wrong!!!</div>
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Originally she had thought that radiation therapy was going to be an option plus maybe immunotherapy if that didn't work, but and its a big but due to the type of cancer I have, and it gets a lot more complicated re markers etc that neither option will work and im at the end of the line!</div>
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I did agree to start a low dose chemo which will start next Friday, it wont cure the cancer but might make the next few weeks, months a bit more tolerable, the big problem is that its inside the liver. </div>
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I wasn't expecting such bad news , so I have gone from thinking of trips in the UK and maybe to Spain to planning end of life care etc!</div>
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Im having a visit from the local hospice next Thursday so that will be good, Im also on a limited time now to sort out my stuff in Oz and Spain, the flat still hasn't sold in Australia yet but it is now getting nibbles as the price has been dropped, this should attract the bottom feeders looking for a bargain.</div>
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Spain is pretty easy as I rent the villa and have a lease until December, so the family can go down in the summer and sort it for me, there is some nice stuff down there but nothing of great value. I have got the Jag for sale but once again will have to drop the price to attract the bargain hunters.</div>
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All in all a bit of a shit but am very happy that I retired at 55 and had probably more adventures than some people that carry on to a ripe old age and of course was accompanied by the gorgeous Elaine until August 2016.</div>
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I must not forget the brilliant time we had in Oz from being working holiday back packers in 1980 right up until we left in March 2012, it was a great place to live and was indeed the lucky country.</div>
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Nothing else to add really, she loaded me up with lots of new drugs that should hopefully give me a bit of spark over the next few months, she also added go and drink some Guinness to get some iron in you!</div>
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The trip back to Milton Keynes was pretty horrible as it was pissing down with rain, but once again the old boy got offered seats on the tube and train.</div>
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Happy Easter Guys XXXX</div>
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<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-84547192849490867982018-03-27T17:47:00.001+01:002018-03-27T17:47:30.122+01:00Bailing from Mojacar !The Mojacar adventure didn't go quite as well as I planned, I do tend to jump into things rather than procrastinate, but on this occasion I wished I would have procrastinated.<br />
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I did get to see the boaters who are wintering in Mojacar but didn't join them for lunch or dinner as I felt constantly nauseous and on a couple of occasions was sick.<br />
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I also envisaged walking along the prom stopping at bars for a coffee or beer, the reality was I was too tired to walk more than a couple of hundred of metres so that plan was scrapped also.<br />
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I have spent a few winters in Mojacar and had forgot how cold it gets at night, the villa was like an ice box, I had the heaters running for 24 hours a day in the upstairs room and my bedroom, it was a joy to go to bed with the electric blanket on! The boaters bought me food packages at night because I was too weak to cook anything other than a basic spag.<br />
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I did manage to sort out the insurance on the Jag and did an advert to sell it on the local forums. I would love to keep it but I just dont know when or if I will be back so it will just sit in the garage at the villa, its OK at the moment as the boaters are using it which is what I want , but they are all heading back to the UK now so it would just sit and gather dust which is no good to it at all. plus I still have the little Citroen C3 if I do manage to go back.<br />
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I started to feel worse and was starting to get worried about getting ill whilst down there and not being able to return to the UK, it was my biggest fear.<br />
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After nine days, I thought bugger it and booked an escape flight for last Thursday with Ryanair, I chose Ryanair as they fly from Murcia to Luton, so a little bit further to drive at the airport at the Spanish end but so much closer at the Luton end. I didnt want a repeat of my nightmare journey on the outbound leg going through Gatwick!<br />
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24hours before I was due to leave I received an email from Ryanair ....your flight is cancelled, would you like a refund or book another flight? I quickly checked the Ryanair website there were no other flights, I was physically sick, my fears had come true, I was feeling like I wanted to die and couldn't escape the country, I rang up brother Russell to see if anyone could pick me up from Gatwick as I couldn't face the thought of getting from Gatwick to Luton on the slowest train in the world again, He couldn't but Tracy could, five minutes later I got one of the last three seats on the Easyjet flight from Almeria to Gatwick. Roly was going to give me a lift to Almeria airport with Andy riding shotgun, they were picking me up at 09.00 the next morning, the boaters to the rescue again.<br />
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They arrived at 08.50 and let themselves into the villa, I was stuck halfway up a flight of stairs trying to get my suitcase to the front door, I just couldn't make it so Andy came down and took it off me and put it into Roly's car..... how pathetic had I become!<br />
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We drove away from the villa, 200 metres later I asked Roly to pull over so I could be sick. what a joy this trip was going to be! Without going into too much details about my puke, it was different, it wasn't food it was crap in my lungs like phlegm, but loads of it and very white. It was usually proceeded by coughing, once it was gone I would feel better until the next cough came along. Im guessing it has something to do with the tumours on my lungs and hopefully will find out soon.<br />
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Andy came with me to the check in and I asked for help to to the plane, wow what a difference to Gatwick, I was wheeled past security and passport control albeit a basic check, they then took me out to the tarmac where I sat in the wheelchair for a while before being loaded onto the scissor lift lorry and loaded straight into the plane.<br />
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The flight was perfect and smooth and I even ate some noodles and had an orange juice with no side effects.</div>
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When we landed at Gatwick those of us who needed assistance where asked to stay on board.</div>
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I was the youngest of the mostly elderly people on crutches etc and Im sure they thought I was faking it!</div>
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Once again it was straight off the plane into the scissor lift truck, once on the ground it was into a minibus who took us to the terminal, once inside the terminal buggies were waiting to take us the rest of the way outside the airport, again it was a very quick trip through passport control. My driver took me all the way to the luggage carousel and even grabbed my bag. Tracy was waiting for me it was then a short walk to the car , hit the road and head home.....Thanks Tracy you are a life saver x This is what should have happened on the outbound flight but obviously the chap I asked for assistance took one look at me and probably thought I was faking it. </div>
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So was the trip to Mojacar worth it ???? Probably not but then again I would have been thinking I should have gone. From now on there will be no more trips outside the UK until im feeling like a normal person again and be able to do normal things, which may or may not ever happen again. Hopefully I will be able to do some trips in the UK and see how we go, but Im not jumping into anything.</div>
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Its nice o be home, the house is warm and snug and I'm back in my safety zone.</div>
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Since being back I have helped Russell fix the fence to make make it doggie escape proof, it blew down a couple of months ago and is the neighbours responsibility but he doesn't seem t be in any hurry to fix it. </div>
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I managed about five minutes before I had to retire exhausted.</div>
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I also went up the stables with Kimberley and Russell as the horse float had a puncture, for this one I sat in the car and watched, it was too cold to get involved.</div>
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This Thursday Im off to London to see the lung oncologist, Kimberley is coming with me and we are going by train rather than driving. </div>
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I have quite a few questions for her as in...</div>
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What is the white gunk that I'm puking up?</div>
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Why am I so weary and still cant walk far, do I need another blood transfusion? </div>
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How do I get my appetite back?</div>
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Am I ever going to lead any sort of normal life again or is this it?</div>
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Do I need to go on anti- depressants to give me a bit of help, she did suggest it once before but I said no, I'm not depressed!! I dont feel anyway suicidal but would be quite happy to go to bed at night and not wake up in the morning. What I struggle with is trying to see a way ahead, I cant imagine going to a nice restaurant again or enjoying a pint of Doombar, I have lost enthusiasm for everything pertaining to a normal life. One good thing to come out of the Mojacar trip was talking to someone who had cancer a a few years ago and like me reacted badly to the chemo. </div>
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They told me that they went through a year of hell before recovering and now leading a very good life albeit some setbacks every now and again.</div>
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Perhaps I need to eat a concrete sandwich and harden up!</div>
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Once again thank you to the winter narrow boaters in Mojacar who helped me immensely whilst I was there XX.</div>
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<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-48565303683284635962018-03-14T17:57:00.002+00:002018-03-14T17:57:44.334+00:00Back In Mojacar !!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well I made it back to Mojacar, when I left last year I thought that was it, I would never set foot in this little bit of Paradise again...<br />
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Last week I started to feel just a little bit better, I was off all the drugs and I was finally getting my taste buds back, not completely but just enough for food to start to taste of something rather than soggy cardboard.<br />
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My next appointment with the oncologist wasn't until the 29th of March so I rang here and asked what she thought of the idea of me going to Spain for a few days, I was concerned with two things...the first was would the plate pop out the side of my head, when they pressurize and de-pressurize the plane causing brain matter to explode all over the poor bugger sitting next to me! My other concern was that would my blood stay good as I didn't want to get trapped in Spain needing a blood transfusion! She said as long as I felt well, go for it but dont stay away too long as they wanted to get moving on the next stage of my treatment whatever that may be!<br />
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The next day I booked a one way flight on Easy Jet to Almeria, I didn't want a return as I didn't know how I was going to feel and how long I would stay for. As soon as I booked I started to panic, thinking am I doing the right thing here, I was actually sweating booking the flight! I was due to fly out on Monday the 12th of March, so I thought if I felt rough over the weekend I would just cancel it and lose the money. My main problem was still nausea and general tiredness, but not enough to cancel the flight. I had booked a train from Milton Keynes to Gatwick via Clapham Junction as I didn't want to go on the underground dragging a suitcase and feeling weak. Sunday I got a message saying the train had been cancelled due to strike action.<br />
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Plan B... Get a train from Bedford which goes direct to Gatwick !!<br />
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Monday morning, plan B swung into action, I was up at 9.00am and felt bloody awful, a Taxi was picking me up at 11.00 to take me to Bedford t catch the 11. 55am train to Gatwick, the taxi part went fine but when I got to the station the train had been cancelled!! Plan B was looking a bit shaky!<br />
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There was another train a few minutes later so after buying some nibbles and a very healthy mango, apple and banana I jumped on the train. I was still feeling nauseous so thought I would have a swig of my healthy drink...fck me it was rank, it was so off it absolutely stunk, thankfully I only took one swig, it was foul! Luckily there were no other passengers in the carriage as I was sure I was going to puke. I managed to nibble on my biscuits which made me feel slightly better. <br />
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I soon realised that I was on the slowest train in the UK and it was going to take over two hours to do a journey that was about 45 mins by car. I sat back and thought bugger it there is nothing I could do about it, it must have stopped at 20 stations before finally arriving at Gatwick. It also stopped at the South terminal but Easyjet fly out of the North terminal. I was knackered by the time I arrived at the check in and was also very late for the flight. When I booked the flight I had asked for assistance because I cant walk far...the chap did lift the case on the conveyor as at 18 kilos I couldn't lift it. After he gave me the luggage tag I asked about the assistance to get to the gate he said just go up the escalators!! Basically piss off and walk you lazy git. <br />
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The gate was 104 and was the furthest possible gate from check in, I still dont know how I made it, zig zagging through the bloody duty free , the stench of perfume was making me worse, I was going to puke at any moment! I made it to the gate with 5 mins to spare, I was desperate, I spotted a couple of boater friends who were on the same flight, they were my saviours Linda went to get help and Richard gave me a bottle of water, Linda also emptied out her plastic shopping bag so I could puke in it !! Luckily the water made me feel better which was good as the bag was full of holes!<br />
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A Easyjet hostess arrived and took us straight to the plane which was wonderful and also apologised that I didn't get any assistance earlier. The actual flight was good and we arrived at Almeria 25 mins ahead of schedule.<br />
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A couple of boater friends Andy and Roly met me at the airport which was fantastic, 45 minutes later we arrived at my villa, Sue and Bev (Andy and Rolys other halves) were in the villa, they had tea and biscuits on the go and had cleaned up the place a treat , the heating was on the bed sheets lovely clean and crisp, They had also stocked up the fridge and kitchen with food and beer!! They are the most wonderful of friends. The boating community is just fantastic!<br />
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I went to bed quite early absolutely shattered!<br />
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In the morning I awoke to this..... Everything from the day before was worth it! </div>
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Its great to be back here and so much better than any drug I have had over the last few months.</div>
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I have caught up with all the boaters that are here at the moment which has been fantastic and I have only been back for two days, I am still not drinking but am starting t taste food again which is fantastic, its still not brilliant but is so much better than a few weeks ago. </div>
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I also caught up with my best friend in Mojacar, Eva, it was so lovely to see her smiling face again.</div>
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At the bar chatting to Eva drinking my favourite tipple.... A cup of tea !!</div>
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I also picked up the Jag, its been in the garage for the last couple of weeks having a brake problem sorted out plus having a service and getting a new ITV which is the equivalent to the English MOT.</div>
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It needed a new servo which had to be a Jaguar genuine part and cost 800 euros but the total bill was 1245 euros which included the service and ITV so I thought that was pretty good, the servo alone in the UK was over a £1000 !</div>
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She drives like new again so Im happy.</div>
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I have felt really good today so Im hoping that it will continue that way, Im still not sure how long I will stay here, hopefully a couple of weeks all going well. As I mentioned earlier my next appointment with the oncologist is the 29th March so I have to be back before then.</div>
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I never thought I would say it but life is good again !!</div>
Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-51635391049717702752018-02-27T14:27:00.000+00:002018-02-27T14:27:34.579+00:00Staying Alive Part 2I had to go to Charing Cross Hospital last Thursday for a scan, I felt like death, and was not looking forward to the drive especially as we had to leave early to get there for 10.00.<br />
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My sister Lynne drove and it was horrendous with crashes and breakdowns on the M25 and M4, We finally made it to the hospital at 11.00. We took the wheel chair as I couldn't walk at all, poor sis was buggered pushing me from the car park to the hospital.<br />
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In the lift I met the main oncology nurse who has been seeing me, she said as soon as you have had your scan, pop in and see me.<br />
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Because we were so late and they had some emergencies I had to wait for a couple of hours before I had the scan.<br />
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We popped into the oncology ward to see the nurse, she said right into bed, lets get you checked over, apparently I looked like death, I certainly felt it. They took my bloods etc and straight away they told me you are being admitted and going nowhere.<br />
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By mid afternoon I was back in a room on the 15th floor.<br />
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Apparently the chemo had shot my blood readings to crap and I was pretty damn ill. They gave me blood and all sorts of other drugs that I cant remember as I was so out of it.<br />
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All I remember next was waking Thursday night screaming the whole hospital down in the most excruciating pain I have ever felt in my life! The pain was in my lower back and pain relief wasn't working, morphine didn't put a dent in it, I couldn't stop screaming and swearing. Three doctors checked me out but couldn't find anything wrong and kept thinking thing that I had fallen and hurt my back or it was a previous back injury.<br />
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All of a sudden it was about 11.00am Friday morning and I awoke pain free. They had sedated me during the night, probably so the rest of the hospital could sleep!<br />
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Apparently I had a bad reaction to a GCSF injection which is supposed to stimulate bone marrow, once again most people dont have a problem with it. <br />
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Long story very short, I stayed in hospital for five days, had 6 pints of lovely new blood plus lots of calcium by drip and as always other drugs that I just cant remember , I just have to trust them.<br />
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What a difference having the blood made, I was no longer breathless and could now stand and walk again.<br />
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I had another two scans whilst there, and there was some good news, even thought I have only had two doses of chemo the tumours had all shrunk. Plus the brain is looking good and recovering very well after having the tumour removed.<br />
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But because the chemo had made me so ill and nearly bloody killed me all treatment is going to stop for a while.<br />
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Im now back in Milton Keynes and looking forward to hopefully trying to live a life again. I'm under no illusion I'm still very weak and its not going to be easy.<br />
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Other news.....<br />
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There has been absolutely no interest in my flat in Australia, I thought it would sell very quickly, but nope, Im not in a hurry so will wait and see, I can drop the price, but the last time we did that was when we sold our Oz house, 2 months later the prices shot up! I pulled out of buying the flat in the Blisworth Mill a couple of weeks ago, it was a fantastic place but feeling so ill I just couldn't handle the stress of buying a place let alone moving in on my own, it just wasn't going to work.<br />
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<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-19432891742626406222018-02-17T11:13:00.000+00:002018-02-17T11:13:54.434+00:00Im Still Alive!But as the Aussies would say I have been as crook as Rookwood ( Which is a famous Sydney Cemetery)<br />
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The chemo session absolutely smashed me, I have never felt so ill in my life and that includes life threatening man flu!! <br />
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I was bed ridden for over a week and basically would have been so happy to not wake in the morning.<br />
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My blood pressure dropped so low that I couldn't stand for longer than a few seconds and did collapse one night whist going to the bathroom.<br />
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They have altered all my drugs again, and I have stopped taking my blood pressure tablets.<br />
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I have felt better the last couple of days which is good, my biggest problem at the moment is that I literally cannot walk at all !! I am getting a wheelchair today so I can at least get out of the house.<br />
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Im off to London on Thursday for a full scan which will hopefully show what is going on.<br />
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I know that this cancer will kill me but i was thinking it would be more like Elaines where we had some good breaks between chemo where we lived a normal life. At the moment normal life to me is a long gone memory, Im hoping it will come back but hey ho if it doesn't so be it.<br />
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I will try and update the blog more often, but as you can imagine when you feel like absolute death it isn't a priority . I haven't replied to loads of emails. private messages, im really sorry and it probably sounds quite pathetic to say it was just too hard!! <br />
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Paul XX </div>
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<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-19563047486157560492018-01-23T15:40:00.001+00:002018-01-23T15:40:15.441+00:00Escape Imminent Its now Tuesday 23rd January, so I have now been here 11 days, which doesn't sound long, but it feels like an eternity.<br />
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The leak from my head has 100% stopped which is fantastic and there will be no more opening up of my Brain. There are still 2 more small tumours in there but they will be removed one day day by non invasive means, but that's not a given either, it all depends on how well the primary lung cancer responds to treatment.<br />
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I have been on anti biotic drips since I arrived here and they have done the job on getting the bacterial levels correct.<br />
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Its been a massive change for me that's for sure as up to this point I had never had a need to go to hospital.<br />
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The bit I hate more than anything is taking of blood at 06.00 every day, then its drip, sleep, eat, drip and so on until the last drip stops in the early hours of the morning. None of it is painful, but I'm in a constant daze not knowing where I am or what time of day etc. Im also still having steroids, which I hate!! The worst side effects to me is a massive loss of taste, they feed me the most gorgeous looking food, but my taste buds are well and truly stuffed.<br />
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All in all minor stuff.<br />
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I have been getting loads of visitors which has been great.<br />
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Yesterday was a big day as I went outside for a walk... the hardest part was putting on my shoes as my feet had swollen so much, but I managed to get them on and went for a walk, with Cathy and Martin an couple of boaters who had come up from Southend to see me before they join the other boaters in Mojacar next week. We didn't go to far before returning to the safety of my little suite!<br />
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I am being discharged tomorrow and will be on an oral anti- biotic for about a month.</div>
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The next chemo is due on 30th January, that will not happen now, which I'm very happy about. They have mentioned radio therapy but nothing set in stone as yet. </div>
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What I want is to go home, see the family and doggies and try to start living some sort of normal life again. Its going to take a while to get into it, getting dressed is a struggle, so its going to take awhile methinks.</div>
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Hopefully I will get a few weeks to build up my strength then we will will tackle the primary lung cancer!!</div>
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Enjoy life people. its very very precious !!!</div>
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Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-50910224753278703602018-01-17T18:46:00.000+00:002018-01-17T18:46:29.697+00:00Life On A Drip !!!Well things have gone a bit pear shaped since the last post....<br />
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And as Im typing this whilst under various anti-biotics and drugs in my system there will be the numerous errors, plus medical ones which Im sure some people pick up, but hopefully you will get the general gist of where Im up to......<br />
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I was handling the chemo ok and was on track to head on down to Spain with brother Russell and nephew Liam via the Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry.<br />
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But....last Friday the 12th whilst out with my sister sorting out headstones for <strike>ME</strike> my late mum and dad, my head sprung a leak, and started oozing out liquid and traces of blood, it was coming from the top of the scar, from the tumour removal, it had been leaking a little anyway and I thought it was just taking a while to heal properly, but this was like a hole!!<br />
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We went back to my base in Milton Keynes and made a decision on what to do....<br />
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It was nearly 18.00 and everyone was hungry, sorted lets get an Indian takeaway... It was absolutely lovely!!<br />
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Unfortunately my head was leaking a lot worse, so sensible head on and ring Charing Cross Hospital!!!<br />
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Answer, get to Milton Keynes A and E ...... Now!!<br />
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This was 19.00 on a Friday night, so we were expecting to be sat around for hours waiting to be seen by the poor over worked NHS staff, the reality was in about ten minutes, Im having blood taken, scans are arranged of my brain and its all moving very fast.<br />
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Milton Keynes hospital doesn't have a neuro section, the closest one is Oxford, but as I had the original op at Charing Cross it made sense to go there, this was going to be the only holdup as all the Ambulances in the UK are being used to transport people around who are dropping like flies because of the bloody antipodean fkin flu!<br />
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So blues and twos were fitted to Kimberley's car and off we went to Charing Cross hospital with all the notes from Milton Keynes hospital, we arrived at Charing Cross A and E at about 01.00am on Saturday morning, once again straight in. Many thanks to Kim and Russ for taking me they got back to MK at about 03.00 and then both had work the next day!<br />
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It was pretty packed in there , but the was only one neuro doctor on so he came to look at me very quickly, he asked me to cough,which I did and covered him with a fountain of CSF (Cerobrospinal fluid) which was now literally squirting out of my head!! He said no tests required this is serious leak and stitched it straight away and I was whisked off to a ward!<br />
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The result of all this is that I am now back in my little private room on the 15h floor of Charing Cross hospital whilst they pump me full of antibiotics. I have an infection which resulted in the leak, its now only leaking a very little, but there can be no leak whatsoever, so it must be resolved. The Prof who did the original brain tumour removal has visited everyday including Sunday!! There is a chance that he will have to operate again, but he is very reluctant to as at the moment the brain is still 100% protected and fine but if he opens again there are some serious risks involved, dying can be fatal!<br />
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Im all good at the moment, its a lovely room with views over London, BUPA are covering everything, I'm having lots of visitors and I'm in a top Neurological hospital.<br />
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My next chemo probably wont happen as this must be sorted first.<br />
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So as the title says I am on a drip not constantly, but sometimes it feels like it, but I do get breaks and go walk about etc.<br />
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Other Stuff....</div>
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Brother Russell and Nephew Liam have delivered the Shaguar back to Mojacar.</div>
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Thankfully I didn't go as there is no doubt I would have died of meningitis on a Brittany ferry in the middle of the Bay of Biscay.</div>
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They had a rough two night crossing and were indeed the last ferry to sail as they are all now cancelled because of rough seas. </div>
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Once off at Bilbao it was a straight 9 hour drive through rain fog and snow before hitting the sun as they got close to mojacar .</div>
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They were in the Emerald Isle pub for Pizza and beers Tuesday evening, meeting up with Mojacar Cruising Canal Club people.</div>
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And what lovely people the MCCC are, they had been up the villa the day before, and cleaned the bed sheets, cleaned the villa, stocked the fridge all ready for my brother and nephews visit.. they were also assisted by a couple of other mojacar friends, I cant thank you guys enough x</div>
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Today Russ and Liam have cleaned and polished the Jag back to perfection they have explored a few coffee shops and had a swim in the sea!!!<br />
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They fly back to Luton on Sunday, so will have a lovely few days in the winter sun.<br />
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I will get back down there myself, but at the moment probably a fair while away.<br />
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I can only hope, that this post made sense...... XXX<br />
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<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-61458494862820809482018-01-10T16:48:00.003+00:002018-01-10T16:48:58.332+00:00First Chemo Done !<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My first chemo session was yesterday (Tuesday)</div>
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I had to be there, by 09.00 so I caught the early 07.30 train out of MK, </div>
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Brother Russ kindly gave me a lift to the station.</div>
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The train was pretty empty so it was a nice easy trip to Euston.</div>
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The tube to Hammer smith was packed, usually its deserted , but this was my first rush hour trip.</div>
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The usual 15 minute stroll to Charing Cross hospital, then the express lift to the 15th floor Thames view private suite it was job done.</div>
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I checked into the oncology day suite, I was the only patient today !!</div>
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They are lovely nurses, and with just me to deal with there is loads of time to chat etc, everything is done slowly with bloods being taken, and plenty of tea and coffee etc, its a quite surreal experience from the normal front line pace of nursing. </div>
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There was a hold up getting started as my liver blood test was a bit out of kilter.</div>
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The oncologist had picked it up on a blood test from last week and rang me Friday night to tell me to stop taking the anti-seizure drug Kepra. I have been on this drug for nearly 2 months. Now the tumour has gone they reckon there is no chance I will have one. Interestingly a seizure is one of the first signs of a brain tumour, I never had one!</div>
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I wont go into all the details of the different drugs , as I dont want it to turn into a medical blog,and they are far too difficult to spell. I do know that two were the poisonous shit. One was a bone strengthener plus flushes, saline, anti emetics and anti biotics.</div>
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They started the drip at about 09.30 and it was all done by 18.30.</div>
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I was talking to a friend earlier in the day and she said you are going to be so bored, In all honesty I didn't get time to get bored.</div>
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I am incredibly positive about the whole scenario but also know that I am not going to live to a ripe old age, so I have plans to make.</div>
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My treatment card reads palliative care.....Fck That!</div>
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Also they bring around nice food for me to graze on !</div>
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My lovely niece Josie visited me so we spent a quality few hours chatting away. </div>
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My plans at the moment are just clearing up Australia, as I will definitely will not be going back there to live but it is where I have a property, pension, and bank accounts.</div>
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The property is the main thing, its sorted now and will go on the real estate market in two weeks. Im pretty confident it will sell quickly.</div>
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I went a bit off track there which Im doing a lot because of the tumour removal!</div>
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Some people reckon I seem smarter!</div>
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Right........ Brother Russ had driven down from MK to pick me up from the hospital as I didn't know how I was going to be after the chemo , and I certainly didn't fancy the packed tube etc.</div>
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We had an easy drive back home.</div>
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I had a lovely dinner at night with no after effects from the chemo.</div>
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I had a great nights sleep which was wonderful.</div>
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I was up early this morning and have spent all day chillin, listening to music and inter dispersed with chatting on FB and lots of nodding off sleeping.</div>
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No sickness whatsoever which is very much like Elaine's first chemo sessions, she breezed through them until Boom!</div>
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So one out of the way.</div>
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Sunday I am chauffeured to Mojacar, my Nephew is coming on the trip as well. Im so looking forward to getting down there to catch up with the boaters and mojacar friends.</div>
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Once again sorry about the mistakes, it takes me ages now to write up and I still know its wrong!</div>
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Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-64726419873204448692018-01-05T23:39:00.001+00:002018-01-05T23:39:42.405+00:00Meeting With OncologistHad a meeting today at Charing Cross hospital with Dr Danielle Power, specialist lung oncologist.<br />
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Tracy accompanied me to take down relevant notes, observations etc. Basically without going into lots of detail its the non-small cell cancer 'Adeno Carcinoma', which is a form of lung cancer where it has originated from. It is incurable but hopefully controllable with treatment, she showed us all the scans which showed a 3x4cm width and 5cm long tumour on the lung, and various legions on the spine, liver and pelvis area. Primary treatment is Chemotherapy which is to commence on Tuesday 9th January and will continue with further sessions every 3 weeks. This gives me a good excuse to go catch some sun in Mojacar. Brother Russ and I are heading back in the Shaguar on Sunday 14th Jan going via the Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry, all going to plan should see us back in Mojacar on Tuesday 16th evening.<br />
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Russell will be doing all the driving as I am not allowed at the moment, Russell will spend a few days with me chauffeuring, cooking and cleaning for me and fly back to the UK on Sunday 21st. This gives me a few days break to catch up with friends in Mojacar before flying back to the UK for more chemo on Saturday 27th Jan. In the words of the oncologist when asked about looking after myself she replied "Eat, drink and be merry!"<br />
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I feel absolutely fantastic but they are now weaning me off the steroids as I have been on quite a high dosage for a long period of time. So from my perspective it's all good news and life carries on....<br />
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The doggies will be staying in Milton Keynes which they love, plus it makes it so much easier for me knowing that they are being loved and looked after.<br />
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Yesterday I had an appointment with Professor Nandi the neurosurgeon who removed the stitches and showed me the post op brain scan, which showed a void where the tumour was and no swelling whatsoever. As he promised he had completely removed all the cancerous tumour. He was on crutches and told me had badly twisted his knee before he operated on my head and did most of the op propped up on one leg!! There are still two small brain tumours, which they will look at removing with a cyber knife at a later date depending on how the cancer reacts to chemo.<br />
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Im still having a few brain fade moments, but hey its only been just over two weeks since the surgery.<br />
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Life Is Lovely XXXXXXXXXXXXXX</div>
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<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-13828531217790641572018-01-01T06:10:00.000+00:002018-01-01T06:10:36.424+00:00Happy 2018 Wishing you all a very Happy and prosperous 2018.<br />
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I dont intend going anywhere so I will carry on carrying on the blog as long as I can still find something to drivel on about.The brain is going to take a while to be fully functional again but its not too bad, I can see the errors, but I know Im not correcting them all the time. The blog has never been edited well since Elaine died, she was a medical secretary and her command of English and grammar was superb. I was a motor mechanic ....say no more.<br />
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Just one photo today, its the one Elaine led her life by. She did indeed live by these daily Reiki precepts and at her wish were read at her funeral.. Im trying to live by them apart from the work bit that is....that finished back in Feb 2012, but the meaning is still there.<br />
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<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-71009507983376920172017-12-30T07:12:00.000+00:002017-12-30T07:14:10.002+00:00The Glimmer Arrives.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Christmas is over and what a cracker it was, as I mentioned in an earlier post how I wish Elaine had been here to share it with us, it was the traditional Christmas that we had always fancy doing but never quite got round to it, Im sure she watching and was very happy to see me and especially her two doggies so looked after. </div>
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I have felt absolutely brilliant, the only small downside is that the steroids have given me such a massive appetite, and I am eating for Africa. Also and I dont know if its the steroids, the anti seizure medication or the brain tumour removal but my taste buds are a bit out of kilter. Its not too bad and is getting better day by day. I bought some lovely French red wine for Christmas, and couldn't wait to try it, basically I just didn't get anything out of it, never mind it will go well in the next spag bol.</div>
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I'm still struggling with time issues, time just seems to go so slow, which is quite nice. </div>
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Iam having to think a lot more carefully when filling out forms and banking online etc, I am making mistakes. But one week ago I had pretty major brain surgery so Im not beating myself up about it. </div>
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I was booking flights and a hotel for holiday a couple of days ago and it all went well until my sister in law checked it and said that I had booked the wrong hotel. I couldn't change it on line, so had to call BA direct the next day. I wrote down all the details of the correct hotel which did have a similar name and location. The girl was lovely and I spoke to her for ages and still managed to book the wrong hotel on the phone!! When I told her about the brain op she was just so lovely and made sure we got it all done and dusted with no problem. All sorted, no loss of deposit, no additional fees just good service. Kudos to BA.</div>
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I will go to Macclesfield by train next Wednesday to catch up with Elaine's dad and brother Trev, plus catch up with a couple of friends. I will just go on the virgin train its one hour 20 mins each way so it makes a nice easy day trip. </div>
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Next Thursday I meet up with Prof Nandi the Neurosurgeon at Charing Cross hospital, it will be just a quick check and removal of stitches. I presume he will also talk about the other two small brain tumours and what they will or will not do with them. </div>
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Friday is the big one as its back to Charing Cross to met up with the lung consultant oncologist who will hopefully give me the full rundown of the disease. I spoke to her yesterday, and that was the glimmer I had been looking for. She said there are loads more info they are still getting from the tumour that has been removed from my brain, but basically its not the super aggressive cell, so I have longer than weeks!!</div>
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Sister in law Tracy will come with me as this is going to be an important meeting, I have already decided that I want quality and as much as possible treatment is going to be around me trying to enjoy life as much as possible.</div>
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I have also checked with Bupa, about any limits to treatment and costs, there are none, it will all be done on the private system. I feel incredibly privileged to be going private and a little bit lucky that about 20 years ago BUPA took over my Australian medical insurance, so including Spain I have been under the BUPA umbrella for 22 years. Oh there are two conditions where they stop paying. one is that I dont pay the monthly fee, and the other is that I die. I reckon that I will keep on paying the monthly fee!!</div>
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So at he moment life is very good, still no pain, I haven't had one pain killer since coming out of hospital one week ago today.</div>
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I am going to catch up with more family and friends before next weeks hospital visits.</div>
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Yesterday my lovely niece and chauffeur/carer took me to the three locks pub for a very very long lunch with a mate who is off back to Mojacar next week. </div>
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A one hour lunch went for three!</div>
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Once again massive thanks to my family who are looking after me in 5 star fashion, they dont realise what a difference it makes for me not to have to worry about anything, especially my precious doggies who have always been my biggest concern, they are both very very happy with their present house, they are unbelievably happy little boys</div>
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Big thanks to the boaters who are in Mojacar who check up on the villa and my stuff down there, I'm seriously hoping to get down there even for a few weeks sooner than later...I have plans!!</div>
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Lastly big thanks to the readers of this drivel that send me lovely messages etc, it is appreciated. </div>
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XXXXXX</div>
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Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-64034844921311128082017-12-26T05:50:00.000+00:002017-12-26T05:50:26.339+00:00What a lovely Christmas and brain Thoughts.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had the most fantastic Christmas with my brother Russell his wife Tracy and daughter, Kimberley, not forgetting Elsa the dog.</div>
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It was just so perfect and simple and I loved every minute of it from when I got up at about 05.30 until I hit the sack about midnight.</div>
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Kimberley and Russell went up to sort the horses mid morning, then came home and changed into casual attire for Christmas present opening.</div>
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The presents were scattered everywhere.</div>
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Then the opening began in earnest.</div>
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On my Christmas day wishlist was a walk through a forest, I really dont know why but I just needed to do it!</div>
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Kimberly who is now my personal driver took me, obviously with the brain op I cant drive at the moment.</div>
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It was fun, not to cold, but bloody muddy! </div>
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The dogs loved it and got covered in mud.</div>
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They have a nice new car so we stuck a load of towels down in the back for the trip back home.</div>
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My chauffeur does a great job, we are off shopping later for a hat gloves, coat etc, there is going to be a lot more driving me around in the next few weeks, months!!!!</div>
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Whist we had been out playing in the woods. Russell and Tracy had been at home sorting the Traditional dinner etc. They had actually been doing it all day, I spent most of the day apart from the forest walk just lounging around on the sofa .....Neuro surgeons orders were to rest well!!</div>
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As soon as we got back the three dogs were taken to the bathroom to be cleaned and shampooed. They soon ended up nice little white doggies again.</div>
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The rest of the day, was pure traditional Christmas, a Brilliant dinner with all the trimmings, then just sitting down chatting, drinking and eating more and more. We did put a Christmas film on but we never watched it we were too busy just chatting.</div>
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Elaine would have absolutely loved it, but Im sure she was with us watching !</div>
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As I said it was just the most perfect Christmas day, and just what I needed. It is without a doubt the most I have ever appreciated close family. I could never have done this in Australia, or Spain etc.</div>
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Brain Thoughts!!</div>
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I have only been out of hospital For three days, and feel absolutely fantastic.</div>
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Im on steroids to reduce swelling and some anti seizure drug to obviously prevent seizures, which I have never had anyway leading up to the op. I haven't taken one aspirin or anything as there is just no pain.</div>
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I can walk and talk fine,Im walking slowly only for the fear of falling over and knocking the plate out of my head!</div>
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I am making mistakes typing up this drivel and can see the mistakes hopefully I'm correcting them but maybe I m not! </div>
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I will get to the point now!!</div>
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My senses have become so heightened, everything is just so wonderful, a Gin and tonic takes me an hour to drink and is the best thing ever! A roast spud was an absolute taste sensation! </div>
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Everything is heightened and im 100% sure its not the drugs.</div>
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My theory is they have taken a big lump of poisonous crap out of my brain and the rest of it is firing out a massive amount of endorphin's to compensate.</div>
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Another strange happening is time, I know what time it is, but as an example we were out for dinner a couple of nights ago , I forgot my drugs, Tracy drove home to get them , she was gone ten minutes, I m sure she was gone at least an hour! </div>
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Im not fussed, they are very minor problems, but I will ask the prof when I meet up with him in a couple of weeks. </div>
Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7498846366962876974.post-56880812460140436792017-12-23T13:15:00.002+00:002017-12-23T13:15:25.294+00:00Its Just a flesh Wound!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Off home soon.</div>
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Merry Christmas Everyone xx</div>
<br />Paul and Elhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02258665852848373291noreply@blogger.com6